Isosceles Triangle
by Blue Topaz
Summary: Love triangle could come in various shapes. s/j. FINAL PART (4) -- things happened for a reason.
1. Part 1

**_ISOSCELES TRIANGLE_**

**_By Blue Topaz_**

****

DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended. Please do not post or distribute this story without the author's permission.

Copyright by Blue Topaz, 2003

**o**

**_JONAS'S POV_**

WHAT?

I had to tell someone. I had to talk to someone. I had to let someone else know. I had to tell the Colo -- no, go back and rephrase that, I had to tell Sam. Yes, tell Sam. Let Sam deal with it. She was better at these thing that me ... well, at least with things that concerned Colonel O'Neill. 

"Jonas, are you alright?" asked Liliana. She was one of the Dunian diplomatic representatives who SG2 had made the first contact with around four months ago. Their level of technology was somewhat similar to Earth and they were more that eager to form an alliance much to our delight. 

I cleared my throat, "Are you sure about that?" I couldn't help but ask for confirmation. People could misinterpret what they heard; I could not afford to misunderstand, not when the Colonel was involved.

The dark hair woman who sat in front of me smiled, "I know Dian through and through, we grew up together, so to answer your question," she paused deliberately, her equally dark eyes twinkled, "Yes, I'm sure."

Uh oh. Big, big, BIG trouble. 

"Jonas, what do you call this food again?" asked Liliana, dropping the subject while she tentatively poked the Jell-O surface with her spoon. The Dunian insisted that they would like to send their best man and woman to Earth, to live here and learn more about us for a full month. Colonel O'Neill compared them with exchanges students, 'They send us a bunch of smart and bright and *annoying* kids behind the pretence of learning new experience and stuff.  When in fact their parents  just want to get rid of them,' he said sullenly as Hammond assigned SG1 to be their chaperones. Yep, the Colonel was not a happy camper; he hated 'babysitting' scientists. 

"We called it Jell-O, try it," I encouraged her. Maybe it was the texture that put her off. She dug in her spoon and scooped a small amount of the clear yellow jelly. She studied it for a while before finally putting it back to the glass. 

She wrinkled her nose and pushed the glass away, "Maybe later." 

"Yeah, hey, listen. I have to go to Sam's lab, do you mind if I leave you here alone for a while?" I really needed to talk to Sam and get this out of my system as soon as possible.

She drew a plate with a slice of an apple pie near to her spoon in hand. The curious woman was ready to inspect the new item, not taking her eyes from the plate, she answered, "Yeah, sure." I don't know whether to be offended or not, she was more interested in the pie than me.

"Thanks," I glanced up to her SF (the General had insisted that every Dunian needed to be escorted with an SF, with or without SG-1 presence) and gave him a head signal, he nodded back. 

I left the commissary and headed down to Sam's lab. Hopefully, she was there. A man could only hold so many secrets. I peeked through her lab's door, YES, she was there. Her head was buried under a stack of folders. 

"Sam," I stepped inside her lab and approached her.

The Major's head tilted up to meet me, "Jonas," she smiled before frowning, "I though you were with Liliana."

"Yes, I am," I answered her, "In fact I'm going back to her in a minute, I just needed to talk to you about something."

She closed the folders, "What is it?" now I have her full attention.

"It's about Colonel O'Neill," I leaned forward and whispered to her, "One of our Dunian friends has an interest in him."

There was a look in Sam's face that I couldn't describe. "Interest?" her voice quivered with uncertainty.

"Yes, a *serious* interest," I tried to make it as clear as possible. I didn't want any confusion in what I was saying, "I thought the Colonel ought to be aware of that fact," I shrugged my shoulder.

She looked down to her hand for a while, contemplating my word. When she finally lifted her head, she asked, "Which one?"

There are four Danian's scientists in total that took part in this 'exchange', "Dian."

**o**

**_SAM'S POV_****__**

"Dian."

Dian? Dian as in 'the most funny of all the Dunian' Dian? Damn it, how am I supposed to deal with this? The Colonel had never liked scientists.  I spent months working to overcome his prejudice about scientists, and now Jonas is telling me that this Dian had an interest in the Colonel? If Dian was just another scientist, I might have chosen to ignore Jonas and brush him off, telling him that the Colonel could take care of himself. However, the problem was, the Colonel liked Dian. He thought that this particular Dunian had a sense of humour. A must quality to be his friend.

But still, "Dian is a man," I though out loud, incredulity was clearly written all over my face.

"I didn't think that would be a problem for him," Jonas replied. Oh yeah, I just remembered. The Dunian were very open-minded about sex,  as the society recognised both hetero- and homo-sexual relationship. A joining (wedding) between the same sex couples were not uncommon.

"Now that you know, I'll leave you to it," said Jonas, all but running off from my lab. Wait a minute ... Jonas, you really are a chicken sh#t, how could you ran away like that? Now I had no choice but to tell the Colonel. And knowing him, it might not be such a good idea. In fact, I am really tempted to let the matter go. I meant there was no way the Colonel would reciprocate the feeling, right? It was common knowledge that he only had an eye for me ... not that I was gloating or anything, but hey, if a man like him admitted (albeit that he did that against his will) that he liked me, I am entitled to feel a little bit proud of myself.

Back to the problem at hand, where was Colonel O'Neill anyway? I took a look at the 'geeksitting' (derived from the word babysitting) rota as a certain Colonel put it. The General had insisted that we make a timetable so that each SG-1 member would spend an equal amount time with the Dunians. Let's see, Liliana was with Jonas; while the others were with the Colonel and Teal'c. He was going to show them some TV shows as part of cultural exchange. 

I really had to tell the Colonel. So I put aside the folders that I was reading, and put them in the filling cabinet, switched my lab's light off and headed towards the recreation room. That was where I found them.  The Colonel was trying to explain several jokes shown in the show, and his hands were moving restlessly while he was talking. I stopped at the entrance and stayed there. 

I couldn't do this.

He looked so ... relaxed. And he was also having fun. If I told him about this, then it would ruin his good mood. I couldn't do that to him, but he deserved to know. What should I do? He was strangely enough quite fond of the Dunians and they had a certain respect towards him. He was also enjoying 'corrupting' these scientists so that they would learn how to have some fun, an idea that was lost when it came to me and Daniel. Our ideas of 'fun' were just not *totally* compatible with each other. 

"Major Carter," Teal'c was the first one who noticed me. The Colonel turned his head towards me, "Hey, Carter," he smiled, "are you coming here to join us?" 

And his happy smiling face had made all my courage disappear. Damn you Jonas, didn't you know that 'ignorance is bliss'? Why did you make me aware of this? The Dunian would be back in a couple weeks time. If I didn't know about it, I would have been able to  go on with my perfect little life, secure in a thought that he was mine -- well, not 'mine' in a sense of belonging, but more in a sense -- okay, I'm officially rambling in my head now. Never a good sign when that happened.

"Uh," I really need to get this out of my chest, but how? Oh yeah, there was another way, "I need to talk to Teal'c, Sir."

"Major Carter, you are not going to join us watching this strange family of badly disfigured yellow people?" Byan, one of the Dunian asked politely. 

Badly disfigured yellow people?

"The Simpson's, Carter," as if reading my mind, the Colonel chided me gently. A smile was playing on his lips, "Shame on you for not knowing."

Oh, just you watch Colonel, "Are you sure you had the General's approval for this viewing material," deliberate pause, "Sir."

The smile disappeared quickly, "Uhm, Carter," his eyebrows drawn closer, "Do I really need the General permission for this?" I loved it when I made him confused. It was one of my hobbies -- no matter how strange it might sound. 

I tried really hard to look serious, "Teal'c, may I have a word with you," I deliberately ignoring him and facing Teal'c instead. The Colonel was starting to move when Dian asked a question, therefore preventing him from going over to me. 

"How can I be of assistance, Major Carter?" Teal'c offered his help as soon as he came near me. I pulled him outside for more privacy, not before catching a glance of Dian patting the Colonel's shoulder, smiling at him over something. 

Eek.

Now, don't get me wrong. I had nothing against male-male relationship, I just have problem with *anyone* coming on to my man. Err, I meant my Colonel, my Superior Officer, my team-leader, my teammates, my team. I would have the same problem if it was Teal'c or Jonas. It was one of my responsibilities, to 'protect' my friends. Yes, that was the reason on why I'm doing this.

Ehm.

"Teal'c, listen to me carefully," I whispered. 

Teal'c lifted one of his eyebrows, "I am listening."

"Okay," I cleared my throat, "I need you to keep an eye the Colonel."

The big man was confused, "For what reason?"

Please God, let Teal'c get this. I really  didn't want to explain to him in great details, "Dian likes the Colonel."

"O'Neill is a pleasant man. It is not unusual for Dian to like him."

Teal'c, Teal'c, Teal'c. Did I really have to spell it out to you? I looked at him carefully, "Dian really *really* likes the Colonel," a pause, "a lot."

**o**

**_TEAL'C'S POV_****__**

"Dian really *really* likes the Colonel," Major Carter paused for a while, "a lot."

I see. That was what Major Carter had been trying to inform me, "He has a romantic attraction towards O'Neill."

She winced at that, "Well, I wouldn't put it so bluntly like that," I tilted my head to the side slightly, she relented, "but yeah, that was what I am trying to say."

I considered the information carefully. It was not unknown to me that Major Carter had feelings for O'Neill. I would do my best to 'keep an eye' on him. "Then, I will do as you asked." I bowed my head slightly and gave her a reassuring smile. It was becoming more and more natural to smile these days, my Tau'ri friends were amusing. 

"Thanks Teal'c," she squeezed my arm, her face was full of relief, "I know that I can trust you," her drew her hands away from my arm, "Listen, I need to go back to my lab, once again thanks, Teal'c."

"You are most welcome," I told her. She then turn around and walked towards the elevator. I simply watched her go, was she unaware that O'Neill's heart was already hers? There was no need for me to watch over him. But I had already given her my promise and I intended to keep it. I turned around and went back inside the rec room.

After Major Carter's request, I found myself watching O'Neill and Dian interact with each other. O'Neill was sceptical at first when we were given this assignment, he thought that the scientists would all be 'boring' and did not know how to have 'fun'. But as time passed by, he grew fond of them. Especially Dian. He was tall, almost as tall as O'Neill. His eyes and hair were dark, like most of the Dunians are, as it was their genetic trait. And he was quite attractive, maybe that was why Major Carter was worried.

I noticed the small gestures and secretive glances that he gave O'Neill. Major Carter was correct; this man had a 'special' interest in O'Neill. I was not aware of how she managed to get this particular information, but it was accurate. Half an hour later, the TV show was over and the three Dunians were escorted back to their respective VIP quarters. 

"Hey, T," O'Neill called to me once we were alone and we were cleaning the rec room, "What did Carter want?" he asked pretending not to be  interested, when I knew for certain that he was curious. He was always using that approach when it was concerning Major Carter. Maybe it was time to give them a little 'push' as Dr. Fraiser put it.

I picked up the black plastic bin and started to clean up the tables, "She wants me to 'keep an eye' on you."

O'Neill's reaction was not unexpected, he turned around so fast to face me, "WHAT?" I gave him a disapproving look on the tone that he was using; he cleared his throat and lowered his voice, "Why?"

"She was concerned that your close affiliation with Dian would jeopardise her relationship with you."

O'Neill was confused, "What made her think that?"

It was time to 'push' it further, "I believe the word that the Tau'ri used would be 'Jealousy'." 

"She is jealous?" asked him, unsure and yet amused by my revelation.

I could not hold back a smirk, "She is."

**o**

**_JACK'S POV_****__**

"She is."

Carter was jealous? Of me and Dian? Why? I mean, why? Wow, I couldn't believe that I actually felt a little bit pleased about this. Carter was jealous, that ought to say something. No, no, don't go there. Carter is a friend, she a very good friend, she got jealous because ... oh yeah, why did she get jealous of Dian? Did I spent too much time with him and neglected her? Nah, I'm still dropping by to her lab now and again. Did she think that -- oh, what the heck, there was no point in wild guessing.

"Why?" I asked Teal'c. I could've sworn that the Jaffa was enjoying my discomfort.

"I am afraid that I cannot divulge that information."

I sighed. Guess I had to talk to her myself. 

**_To Be Continue_**

So, what do you think so far? 

Thanks for rosemary who beta-read this for me.


	2. Part 2

Note: Thanks for all of you who had took your time to review the story, here is part 2 ... enjoy g

**Part 2**

**_JONAS'S POV_**

This cannot be happening.

Please, this cannot be happening. How am I supposed to explain this to the Colon -- no, not him, to Sam. Yes, to Sam. How? I put my elbows on the table and put my face in my hands, rubbing it slightly. I could feel a headache was approaching.

"Jonas, are you alright?" asked Liliana. I could've sworn that she told me all this just to make me miserable and she was enjoying every second of it. Oh God, help me. 

"Are you sure about this?" I knew what the answer was, but I still have to ask it. Just for the sake of it.

Her black eyes twinkled with amusement, "Of course I am." This pretty woman is a devil in disguise. Although I have no proof, there was no doubt about it. She clearly took pleasure at the expense of another's despair.

"Now Jonas, what do you call this food again?" as usual, she dropped the bomb and left it to me to clean up the mess. She had a piece of chocolate cake in front of her. She scooped a small amount of cream with the spoon and licked it, tasting it gingerly. One thing that I had learned from our time together here was that she had an obsession with Earth food, especially the desserts. 

"Chocolate cake," I informed her absent-mindedly. I had more urgent things to think about. Oh man, what should I do now? 

"You still have time to inform Major Carter," Liliana said while taking a slice of the cake, "I'll be waiting here with my chocolate cake," the cake disappeared into her mouth. After it was melted in her mouth, she sighed in appreciation, "Great food, remind me to take this one back to Dunian."

Did you see that? That was my proof that she was evil.

"Uh ... OK. I won't be long," but she was right. I had to let Sam know about this.

I left Liliana alone to enjoy her dessert of the day and headed towards Sam's lab. Hopefully I was not too late.  She and the Colonel were scheduled to gate to Dunian at anytime. Dian was called back because there was a problem with a project that he was supervising and they needed him back. He invited Colonel O'Neill to accompany him, and he promised the Colonel to give him the grand tour around Dunian. Oh yeah, and also showing him a great spot for fishing there. 

Needless to say, the Colonel agreed. Luckily for Sam (or him - depends on the perspective), she overheard the conversation and had asked to go with them. Her official reason was to take a look at the Dunian's technology, but I knew better. You know, I could see that the Colonel was overprotective towards her in some ways, I just never realised it before that it went both ways. Not a bad thing, I must say.

"Sam," once inside her lab, I saw her packing some equipment inside her pack.

She glanced up to see me for a while, "Hi Jonas," and then she went back to her previous activity, "what's up?"

"Listen, I need to tell you something," let's get straight to the point, "Dian was planning to take action while in Dunian." Sam is smart; she understood what I was saying. She dropped a very expensive looking gadget that she was holding at that time and it made contact with the floor with a shattering sound. Oops, I should've watched my timing. 

She looked at me and smile, "Thanks for letting me know Jonas," she said calmly, but her fists were clenched tightly, betraying her composed exterior.

Uh oh, this was awkward, I needed to get out of here fast, "No problem."

**o**

**_SAM'S POV_**

"No problem," Jonas said while his legs were running off from my lab. Less than a second, he was off my line of sight.

Damn you Jonas. Why did you have to make it more difficult that it already is? It was bad enough that I was on the spot when Dian asked him to go to Dunian with him, well, OK; maybe it was not so bad after all. But I got so caught up in the 'heat of the moment' that I was finding myself willingly accompanying them while I knew that I could have Teal'c to do just that instead. Oh well, I was already planning to 'protect' him, wasn't I? I guessed I just had to increase the dose of the 'protection' a bit.

Calm down girl; don't let Jonas's words get to you. The Colonel could see right through me. If I was nervous, it would be a dead give-away. Okay, don't panic. No reason to be panic, not yet anyway. Just remember one thing, it HAD NOT happened yet. I still could prevent it. 

I let out a big sigh. That was right; this was my mission, to put a stop to it. 

First, I had to relax a bit. I unclenched my fists and relaxed the tense muscles as I took a deep breath. Second, I had to finish my packing. I took everything that I needed and just shoved it inside my pack. To hell with organized packing, the Colonel couldn't be left alone. Not even for a second. I just could not take the risk. Third, I had to find the Colonel. And I had to find him fast.

I swung my backpack over my shoulder and headed towards the gateroom, where I knew he would be. He was always had the tendency to be in the gateroom much earlier than scheduled to set an example.

I walk down the corridor. Too slow.

I walk faster down the corridor. Still too slow.

I ran slightly down the corridor. Why did the corridor seem to be much longer today? 

"Major Carter," Teal'c voice came from behind. Now, if he was just another person except the Colonel or General Hammond, I would had not stop and turn around to face him. But Teal'c was Teal'c, I couldn't just ignore him. 

"Teal'c," I turned my head around a bit while my feet still walking towards my destination. I had reduced my running to a walking pace, allowing Teal'c to catch up with me and walked with me side by side. Teal'c looked apprehensive, almost unsure, "Teal'c, what's wrong?" I asked him.

**o**

**_TEAL'C'S POV_**

"Teal'c, what's wrong?" Major Carter asked while her face was shadowed by concern.

I smiled sadly at her, "I learned disturbing news today." She stopped walking and frowned.

"Disturbing?" a flash of anxiety flickered; she put down her backpack, acknowledging that our conversation was of a great importance.

"Indeed," I confirmed her question.

Her eyes narrowed together, "The news wouldn't happen to concern Dian's plan to act while in Dunian, would it?"

Dian's plan to act while in Dunian? "No, it was not. What is this plan you are referring to, Major Carter?" I was not aware of such thing.

She looked uncomfortable by my query, but she still answered it, "Uh ... Jonas told me that Dian was planning to make a move on the Colonel," I could tell that it took a lot for her to confide with me with such information. Major Carter was not the type of person who could confide easily, I was really honoured that she put a great deal of trust in me.

But I still could not resist teasing her, "He intends to declare his affection towards O'Neill?" I raised one of my eyebrows, to make my effort of taunting her less conspicuous. 

She grimaced at that, "Teal'c, do you really have to put everything so directly like that?" she shifted nervously.

I smiled at her, "Please accept my apology, and I did not wish to make you uncomfortable."

She shook her head and sighed, her arms were crossed in front of her chest casually, "Nah, it's okay. It was what made you, you," she smiled back at me. I nodded slightly; she was truly an incredible woman, O'Neill was so fortunate to have her. And so am I for having her as my friend.

"So, Teal'c," she started the conversation again, "what was this disturbing news that you have?" she was uneasy.

Doctor Fraiser had advised me to 'break' the new information to her gently, "There was a tale going around inside the SGC."

"And?" her curiosity was piqued.

"It was believed that you had finally lost your 'touch' and O'Neill would stay behind at Dunian to live 'happily ever after' with Dian," I hope that was gently enough for her.

Her eyes were widened; a small gasp escaped her lips. She was shocked, I believe it was safe to assume that I failed to deliver the news 'gently'. But she was strong, she would recover. Of that, I am sure. I put a hand on her shoulder, "Do not worry, Major Carter. I do not believe that O'Neill would do such thing," I gave her an encouraging smile; "He would not given up on you."

Her eyes lit with gratitude and the smile was back on her face, and then she leaned towards me and embraced me in a friendly manner, "Thanks Teal'c. That was the sweetest thing that anyone had ever said to me."

"I merely stated the truth," I put my arms around her and hold her for a moment, offering any comfort that I could give. She then pulled back, "By the way Teal'c, how did this rumour going around the SGC?" her eyebrows drawn closer, "I mean, the only one who knew about this was me, you and Jonas. I don't see any of us spreading this around the rumour mill. Poor Colonel, he would be very uncomfortable if he had ever heard about this."

Intriguing question. Who indeed had provided this information to the others? "I do not know," I answered her honestly. 

She sighed, "Oh well, I guess it was a good thing that he would be in Dunian in a few minutes," she looked at her watch, "at least, he wouldn't have to heard about this. I'm going to the gateroom now, it's almost time to depart." She took her discarded backpack and started to walk. I would like nothing more than offering her to carry the backpack for her, but I knew that she would refuse. So we walked towards the elevator and headed to Level 28, where the gateroom was. O'Neill and the Dunian Dian were already there. They were engage in conversation. 

"Carter, Teal'c," he noticed us approaching, "Yo, big guy. Are you sure that you don't want to come with us?" he asked. 

"I am sure, O'Neill," I knew that it was a wise decision to let O'Neill and Major Carter alone in this trip, they had a lot to discuss in private. Major Carter was trying to make a conversation with Dian, and therefore diverting his attention from O'Neill. She had done this in several occasions after she had learned about his intention.

"If you say so, buddy," he shrugged his shoulder, his P-90 was slung across his chest. He stole a glance towards Major Carter and Dian, satisfied that they were not paying attention to him, he whispered, "Hey Teal'c, is Carter alright?"

"Why do you ask?"

"She seems different, I guess."

"There was nothing out of ordinary about her."

He gave me an exparated look, but then he sighed heavily, "Maybe it's just me."

I had to refrain my smile when I replied, "It is just you."

**o**

**_JACK'S POV_**

"It is just you."

What do you mean it was just me? Damn it Teal'c, are you blind or what? Every time she came to me and Dian, she always overlooked me and talked to him instead. Now, you could not tell me that there was nothing wrong with that. Because it was clearly and plainly and blatantly wrong. What ever happened to 'she was jealous'? Or was she trying to make me to taste my own medicine? 

I guess now I understand why she felt ignored. It was not like she was doing it on purpose or anything. She was always interested in new technology and Dian was one of the Dunian's leading scientists. I couldn't follow their conversation, too many big words and technical jargon flying around. 

I really need to talk to her once I got the chance to. I didn't want to lose one of my best friends over this. 

**_To be continued_**

AN: And let the fun begin in Part 3 


	3. Part 3

**Part 3**

****

**_SAM'S POV_**

Jonas, you are *so* dead.

You know, considering my circumstances I should have thought about something else beside Jonas's soon-to-be fate, but I couldn't help it. That was the first thing that went through my mind: Jonas is a dead man. Oh, yes he is. Just you wait until I get my hands on you, Jonas. I know you think you were safe a million light years away from me right now, but once I come through the gate, I'll let you see that I am much *much* scarier than the Colonel could ever be. I'll make sure that you were so sorry that you --

"Samantha," Dian's voice stopped me from my mental-threat transmission to the young Kelownan. His right hand was still covering my left hand, his eyes were fixed on mine affectionately, "What do you think about it?"

Oops, I knew that I had better things to do that threaten Jonas, "Uhm," I stalled while attempting to pull my hands from him. He refused to release it at first by tightening his grip, but after I gave an extra hasty tug he finally let go.

He was confused by my course of action; I could see it from his expression. God, I felt like a jerk, I never meant to hurt anyone. Oh for crying out loud, whom am I kidding? I brought this on myself, come to think of it, I practically begged for trouble to come looking for me. Gee Sam, congratulations. You never saw it coming, did you? You were so caught up in your 'mission' to make the Colonel unaware of what was going on but apparently your plan backfired. Big time.

"Ehm," someone cleared his throat.

Aw crap, how could I forget that he was here as well? Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid Sam. Of course the Colonel had to be here, didn't he? Of course he had to witness all this, didn't he? And *of course* he had to hear every single words that Dian had said to me, didn't he?

Didn't I say that Jonas is a dead man? 

I bit my lower lip nervously before I finally turned from Dian to face the Colonel. He fidgeted anxiously with his napkin as the three of us were having dinner together in Dian's house. It was our last day on Dunian; we were scheduled to go back to earth the next day. The Colonel and Dian were sitting at opposite ends while I sat between them. I didn't know what to say to him.  I really didn't. I eyed him warily, but he avoided any sort of eye contact, opting to stare at his glass instead. He was as uncomfortable as I was.  Somehow I wished that he would do something, maybe let his alpha-male ego make an appearance and told Dian to get lost, sweep me into his arms and gave me a possessive kiss. Just the thought of him doing that had made my blood flow faster than the normal rate.

Was it me or was it getting hot in here?

No, no, don't you dare daydream in this kind of situation! You'd have plenty of time to do that later on. "Sir," I called him softly, hoping that he would meet my eyes. And he did. There was something in his gaze that made me stop breathing. 

He was jealous.

YES! YES! YES!

Ehm, sorry, I got a little carried away. What I really meant was I was grateful that he showed his emotions to me. No matter how brief it was, no matter how faint it was, no matter how insignificant it seemed to the others. I was more than pleased with that.

When the need for air became unbearable, I let my lungs resume its activity, but not before I sent him a sincere smile. The kind of smile that came out naturally when he was around. 

He looked baffled at first, but then the edge of his lips lifted up slightly, "Carter, it's not polite to keep a man waiting for an answer like that, you know."

Huh?

That was it? To be honest, I was expecting more than that. Where's his demonstration of a hot-blooded male? I sighed mentally. Never mind, I should've known that he couldn't and wouldn't show much passion anyway, this is the Colonel we were talking about. 

"Samantha," Dian called my name once again in an attempt to draw my attention. Slowly I turned around and faced him. I sighed once again, still mentally. I really needed to choose my words carefully here, as I didn't want to hurt him more than I've already had.

Here goes nothing, "Dian," I said carefully, "I'm flattered, but I don't think that it will work." 

"Why?"

"Because," I could think of *one* good reason why, but unfortunately I could not say it out loud, "well, for starters, we are from different planets, and I don't do long distance relationships," not a completely reasonable explanation, but it should do for now.

Dian was not to be deterred, "Our planets are going to be friends, and with the aid of the Stargate the distance is insignificant."

Good point.

But there was no way that I am going to say 'yes', "Second, I love my life the way it is," with the Colonel by my side, although I could not have him the way that I really wanted to, "I'm not really looking for a relationship right now."

"Relationships are not something that you look  for, it is something that comes unexpectedly, and all you have to do is take the opportunity that was presented to you," he pressed. His brown eyes gazed at mine intently, making me shift uncomfortably.

I risked a glance in the Colonel's direction. Well, it did have the 'come unexpectedly' part, but I couldn't take the opportunity. I closed my eyes for a moment and when I opened my eyes I knew that I had to tell him the truth, "Dian," I took a deep breath, "I can't. I already have someone special."

His eyes widened in a mixture of astonishment and disappointment.

"I'm sorry," I added shortly after that. 

He shook his head in defeat, "No, please, don't be sorry. I was at fault. I foolishly believed that someone as smart and beautiful like you had feelings for me," he smiled sadly and got up from his chair, "please, continue your meal, I need some time to collect myself." He then abruptly left the dining room and vanished to one of his more private rooms.

Oh God, I really feel like an idiot. I was so consumed by my misconception that it had clouded my perspective. It was no different than walking down a minefield blindfolded. I hung my head in shame and stared at my half-eaten plate.

"Hey," a hand was resting on my shoulder.

Oh.

Yeah.

The Colonel was here all the time. Have your parents ever caught you with a contraceptive item in your drawers? Well, it felt like that, only it was worse. I couldn't meet his eyes, I couldn't face him. Not now. Oh, how I wished that I was somewhere far far away from here, alone. 

"You're shaking," his soft voice was adding more assault to my self-disgrace. I didn't even realize that I was shaking. Damn it, I'm stronger than this, what was wrong with me?

"I'm alright," I told him quietly, still not moving from my position.

**o**

**_JACK'S POV_**

"I'm alright," she said almost inaudibly. 

Like hell she was.   She refused to meet my eyes and was still trembling uncontrollably.  I knew that she wasn't all right, and didn't she trust me enough to tell me the truth? But then again, she was always Major Carter, wasn't she? She had to be strong all the time and pretend that everything was OK, didn't she? We both knew that she didn't have to be like that in front of me, but she was a Carter. And strangely enough, that made me adore her more. That made me crave her more. And that was also my constant reminder that she was 'untouchable', at least for me.

I looked at my hand that was still resting on her shoulder. I had three options for that particular hand. One, remove it. Not acceptable, I still wanted and in some way needed the contact. Two, let it stay there. But it wouldn't ease her from her misery. So ... that only left option three. 

Before I knew it, the hand had traveled to her back and pulled her into my embrace. I didn't even remember leaving my chair and standing at her side. All I knew is that I had her in my arms. I had one hand on her back and the other on the back of her head, pulling her close to me. Still with her sitting position, her head was resting on my stomach. She stiffened at first and tried to push herself away, but I wasn't having any of that, my arms held her in her current position. And then she started to relax, her hands were gripping the edge of my shirt now; I could feel her breath through the layers of my clothing. 

I held her.

And it was the best feeling that I had ever had for a long time. I had to resist running my hand through her hair and caressing her back.  No, I would not do that. I was offering her comfort as a friend.  I would not betray her trust. She was worth much more than that. I didn't know how much time had passed, and I didn't care. I could feel her self-control reassert itself.

"Thank you," she said after her shivering had stopped, still in my arms. She didn't show any indication of discomfort with our current position, so I let it be.

"Anytime," I drew her closer slightly, letting her know that I was here.

She released her grip on my shirt and put her arms around my waist loosely, "I've been acting like a fool," she chuckled wryly. I had no answer for that. She *was* acting 'out of characters' since we arrived here in Dunian. She seemed to be interested in everything that Dian said and always asked him questions about everything. If he had an impression that she liked him, than I couldn't blame him because I pretty much had the same idea too. 

It was hard watching her like that. It was hard to acknowledge that someone could have her attention so much. But then when I watched her closely, there was no sparkle in her eyes when she looked at him, there was no genuine smile that she presented to him. It looked like she was forced to make conversation with him. 

And that puzzled me. But then again, since when did anything to do with her didn't confused me?

"Hey," I had learn long time ago that the best way to cheer her up was just simple being 'me', the sarcastic Colonel with strange sense of humor, "Your special someone wouldn't happened to be Jonas, would it?"

She giggled, wow, that tickled my stomach a bit, it was quite a pleasant sensation actually. I knew who her 'special someone' was, or I hope I had the right guess. But I also knew that she would not speak it outloud.

"No giggling, Major," I warned her, I knew that she was feeling better already.

"Sorry, Sir. It's just that," she paused for a moment to collect her breath, "out of anyone back on Earth, you picked Jonas," I could almost see her smile though her voice.

"Well, you two are quite close, aren't you?"

"Not after this," there was a hint of annoyance in her reply.

Huh? What did she mean by that? I waited for a further explanation to her remark, but it never came. I guess I had to let this one go.

"So, who is it then?" I asked her again as we had fallen into our common ground of safe flirting (we invented such a thing due to our circumstances) and friendly banter. 

"Why do you want to know?" she was baiting for my reaction, I could tell.

"Well, you are in my team, and I let you know *Major*, that no one messed with my kids. I need to have a man-to-man talk with him."

"I'm your kid, am I?" she was amused.

I smiled, "Yes, you are."

"Well, good luck then."

I didn't like the way she said that so casually, "Good luck with what?"

"With having a man-to-man talk with my special someone."

I looked down to the mass of the short blond hair that belongs to my Major, "And who would that be?"

She titled up her head to meet my eyes, her chin rested just below my chest. There was a definite wicked grin and mischief written all over her face, "Teal'c."

**_To be Continue_**

AN: Mmm, someone asked how long this fic will be, and to tell you the truth, I have no idea. It could end on the next chapter if I could tie all the loose end together later on g.


	4. Part 4

PART 4

**JONAS'S POV**

Uh oh.

Now I understand why Sam was so distant after she came back from the trip. She would ignore me and acted really polite. It was really bugging me. Even the Colonel was clueless as to what was wrong. 

"So, Jonas," Dian asked me wearily, "do you have any idea who this man is?"

We were having lunch together in the commissary. Liliana, who had declared that this was her favorite place in the whole complex, was also joining us. As well as Byan and Kian, the other two Dunians. This was their last day on Earth; they were scheduled to go back home in a couple hours. I had to admit that the Dunian were very open about their feelings, I mean, there was no way that I would talk about how a woman rejected me in a public place like this. But they talk about this as if they were talking about a TV show. 

Three pairs of eyes were focused on me, waiting for my answer while Liliana's were fixed on the blackberry muffin that Sam bought from the coffee shop outside the SGC. She was practically staring at the strangely shaped cake until Sam relented and offered it to her. Needless to say, the black haired woman accepted it gratefully and had been staring at the muffin ever since, not yet making any move to taste it. She had taken act of eating to a different level. 

"Uhm ..." what was the question again? Oh yeah, who was Sam's lover. Wait a minute, Sam's didn't have one, not to my knowledge. But then again her statement could be interpreted in a different context, "I don't know." 

There was no way that I was going to mention the Colonel's name, no matter how fitting his name was to that particular question. I didn't hate my life, thank you very much. 

"How is that possible," Dian insisted, "you are one of her closest friends, surely you knew about such things."

I leaned back to my chair, I needed a *really* good response for that, "Sam is a very private person, she has several secrets of her own."

There was a surprised reaction from three of the Dunian, and you were right if you guess that it was Liliana who was the odd one out. Kian was the one who recovered first, "Why would she keep it a secret?"

From what I've been learning about the Dunian, they were very 'expressive' about their emotion, they talked to their friends about everything. And when I said everything, I mean everything. I actually found myself blushing once when Byan and Kian were discussing about anatomy of their private parts (in a great detail about its function as well) in the infirmary. The nurses' on-duty were having a blast at that. That was also one of the reasons why Dian proposed to Sam in the presence of Colonel O'Neill. 

Brave man.

"Because she wanted to," I answered as best as I could to my knowledge, "on Earth, people have secrets. It's actually normal."

The three men were nodding in understanding as they let the news sink in, "You were right, sometimes it was easy to forget that she is an alien," Byan interjected. 

"What about Colonel O'Neill, would he knew about this?" Liliana as always were acting as the Goddess of Chaos, her eyes were still on the muffin, "He knew her long before you did, didn't he?"

OK, now I really didn't know what to say, "Maybe," the answer was delivered hesitantly. That was the safest reply that I could think of. That woman was something. I wonder who would win if the Colonel and she were having a one-on-one. 

Dian got up from his chair, "Let's ask him." Byan and Kian were also stood up.

What? Wait, guys, don't. Please don't. 

Unfortunately, they seemed to be unresponsive to my silent plea, they excused themselves and went to look for the Colonel. Three SF who was guarding them were smirking behind their backs, knowing that what was coming would be priceless.

I slumped on my chair and sighed deeply. What a mess. I glare at the woman sitting in front of me, she was the one who caused it. The intensity of my glare had finally made her abandon the muffin, her head were titled up to face me.

"Why did you say that Dian had an interest in the Colonel?" I asked her with accusation in my tone. That was what had started all this.

She smiled innocently, "Because he did." And then her eyes were back on the muffin, her hand took the item and lifted closer to her nose. 

"No, he didn't. He likes Sam," I pointed out in irritation.

She inhaled the aroma of the muffin, eyes were closed, "Very pleasant smell, sweet and alluring," she described. Watching her inspecting a food was like watching a wine expert tasting a wine. 

"You haven't explained why you said that Dian had an interest in the Colonel," I was not going to be distracted by her. Not a chance.

She opened her brown eyes lazily, "The Colonel reminds him of his first love," she took a bite at the muffin and rolled the cake on her tongue, savoring the taste, "Wonderful, moist and full of flavor, remind me to bring this one back to Dunian."

Unbelievable, this woman was impossible. 

She put down the muffin back on the table, "Dian's first love was a man, he was very much like Colonel O'Neill, not the look, but the way they acted, " she give details to her statement, "Unfortunately, things happened and it  didn't work out. It affected him deeply, so now he prefers women to men."

My eyes were drawing closer, "And when were you planning to tell me this?"

"Now," answered her lightly as if it didn't mean anything.

I should have seen it coming. 

I let out exasperated groan, "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" so innocently she asked back.

"Misleading people," there was no need to be all polite on her. 

She raised her eyebrows, "I don't mislead people," she said. 

Yeah, right. And Dian didn't just come on to Sam either.

Apparently, she wasn't finished, "It was the *people* who took what I was saying the wrong way."

I hated it when she was right.

o

**SAM'S POV**

By  rights, Jonas was supposed to be buried under the cold and wet soil right now, with a cold and plain tombstone as its landmark.

But since I geo a hug from the Colonel out of this mess, I'd let him live another day. Not that he would get a 'thank you' card from me either. He wouldn't get away that easily, so I reckon that giving him the cold shoulder should do for now. Just to let him know that I was not happy with the inaccuracy of his information. 

"Major Carter," someone called my name, I looked up from my laptop to see Liliana was standing in the entrance, "I hope I am not interrupting anything," she added carefully.

I smiled at her, "No, you're not. Please come in," I saved the file that I was working for and close my Dell notebook. She entered my lab while her chaperone was standing on guard near the door in my lab. 

"I have something to say to you," she said, still standing. I gestured at one of the spare stool, "Sure, but please take a seat."

She took my suggestion and sat down, my big working metal bench was between us, "Now, what can I do for you?" I fold my arms and rested it on the table.

"We will go back home today and I must say that I really enjoyed my time here on Earth," her smile was contagious.

"You are welcome. We enjoyed your visit here too."

Her clear brown eyes shot right through mine, "That is why I did not want to left things unsaid," pause, "I came here to apologized," she said. 

Apologize? "What for?" I was confused; she had not done anything wrong. At least, not that I was aware of.

"For Dian."

Huh?

"What about him?" I have a sneaky suspicion that whatever it was that she was going to say, it wouldn't be good.

She put both hands on her lap, her posture was gracious. This woman was classy. Her face was fair and sharp, her eyebrows were shaped perfectly and her moist pink lips were perfect. Her body was slim, the clothes she was wearing clearly showing her perfect figure.

What I wouldn't give for a body like that.

Snap out of it, girl. You have a great body, yourself. You just don't have time to take care of it. And it was hidden under the boring BDU. Damn.

"Did he not make you aware about his desire towards you back in Dunian?" 

Oh.

That.

Well, there was no point in denying, was it? "Yes, he did." Liliana and Dian knew each other since they were children and were best friends. He must have poured out his broken little heart (for the record, I was *so* not proud of being the one who broke it) to her, "But what does it have to do with you?"

"I used you," the amount of honesty in her voice surprised me. 

"Used me?" I really don't get it. How did she use me?

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. And then her oh so perfect little and pink mouth made a move and began to tell me everything.

And I meant *everything*.

Accompanied by details that I really didn't want and need to know.

When she finished her narration, I found myself staring at ... her. I should have said something, really. I mean it was rude not to comment on such a bizarre story like that. But my brain went blank. Liliana waited patiently until I recovered, God bless ... her, I needed that time.

o

**TEAL'C'S POV**

It was such an unusual question.

The Dunian's men were standing in front of me, waiting for the answer. I stood perfectly, my back was straight and my hands were folded on my back, "I am afraid I could not betray Major Carter's trust in me."

They were disappointed, but I would not share the information with them. They were looking for O'Neill at first, but when they could not find him, they asked me instead. 

"I understand," Dian was dejected, but he stood his ground. He looked at to me once again, "Would I be correct in assuming that Colonel O'Neill would not tell us the answer as well?"

"Indeed," I firmly confirmed his assessment.

Kian placed a hand on his shoulder to offer him support, "Come on, Dian. We still have a lot to do." His attempt to divert his friend's attention from his misery did not go unnoticed. They were good people, who valued friendship and loyalty. I was honored that I had them as my friends.

Byan added, "Yes, we still have to say our farewell to the Airmen in Level 22 and the nurses in the infirmary." The Dunian were also very pleasant, they made friends everywhere they went. They knew almost all the SGC personnel by name and they were also welcomed them warmly. 

"Thank you for your time, Teal'c," Dian thanked me and then together with his two comrades and left my room. I watched the three men walked away.

O'Neill had made a very interesting observation, he said that the Dunian were like the Russians in the 'name department'. The Russian's name would ended with -ov, like Chekov, Zuckov, Tolinev and so on, while the Dunian male would have -an at the end, such as Dian, Kian and Byan and the female would have -ana, like Liliana. Major Carter was impressed, she said that she hadn't notice that before. And her compliment had delighted him.

I believed that he would endeavor to be more observant in the near future in an attempt to elicit the same response from her.

o

**JACK'S POV**

That was odd.

I found her in her lab, sat on her stool doing nothing but staring at a spot on the wall. I positioned myself behind her and tried to look at the spot that she was looking at. Nothing was visible there, so she must be in a 'thinking' state. Not in the sense of scientific 'thinking' but in thinking 'thinking'.

"Carter," I shake her shoulder.

She bolted out in surprised and turned around, "Sir," her cheek were flustered as I just caught her daydreaming on-duty. What great blackmail material.

"What's up?" I asked her while pulling on of the free stool near the table, slide it between my legs and let my body rest on it in one swift move. She swirled her stool around so that we were facing each other.

She opened her mouth to say something, but then she shut it up, "Nothing." She was lying.

"Spit it, Major," I told her. Not too harshly, but enough to let her knew that I would not take 'no' for the answer.

She bit her lower lips, hesitation was in her body language, "Liliana came to see me in my lab," she started, "and she told me something ..." paused," ... shocking."

Uh huh, "Like what?"

She looked at me uncomfortably, "Like how she purposely made me to believe that ..." she didn't finish her sentence, opting to lower her head and refuse to meet my eyes.

"Carter," gently I call her name, "she made you believe what?"

She muttered something incoherently. "Carter," I wanted to put my hand under her chin and lifted her head so that she would face me, but this was not the time nor the place to do that. The security camera was our silent witness, "I couldn't hear what you were saying."

She muttered again.

I sighed in frustration, "Major, speak up." 

At the mention of her rank, she tilted her head and blurted, "That Dian had  feelings for you." 

Suddenly everything started to fall into place. Her strange request to go to Dunian with me, her close proximity to Dian when we were there, her unusual behavior lately, how upset she was when she turned him down. She was doing all that for me.

Wow.

"You were making sure that he wouldn't do anything to me," the statement came out outloud.

I can see a faint red on her cheeks, "Yes. I had to protect my team, Sir."

Oh, team, huh? 

"I mean I would do the same thing if it was Jonas or Teal'c in your position," she clearly tried to prevent my ego from boasting.

Too late. 

After she said the word 'yes', I chose to ignore the rest of her sentences. I grinned widely. "I knew," I decided to tell her. She looked at me in surprise, "I knew about Dian's interest in me. He told me."

And then her blue eyes were widened, her lips were parted slightly, "You knew?" she whispered.

"Yes, he said that I reminded him of someone that he used to know. A very close acquaintance. He had made it clear that he was not looking for relationship with me, but would like to know me better," I told her the truth, "He wasn't interested in man. He had a bad experience once and  was traumatized."

My 2IC suddenly became quiet, too quiet to my liking. So I decided to break the silence, "Thanks Carter."

Her face fell, "For what? For making a fool out of myself?" she was still beating herself up for what happening in Dunian.

"For 'protecting' me," I stare at her intently. She knew that if these things with Dian had ever come out in the open, I would feel uncomfortable and God knows who could use the information against me. She was something.

"You didn't need the protection in the first place," she answered bitterly.

"It doesn't matter whether I needed you or not. The important things is that you were there for me," I let my hand cover  hers, "whether I needed  it or not, you always there for me," my fingers were caressing the back of her hand, "Thanks."

And for the first time since I entered this room, she smiled. Not the polite smile that she gave to her fellow scientist, not the cold smile that she gave to the NID and Goa'uld, not the fake smile that she gave Dian but the warm and sincere smile that light up her eyes. 

I'm a *very* happy man.

I cleared my throat, "So ..."

"So?" her eyebrow was raised.

"Why would Liliana make you believe that Dian had feelings for me?" I try to get back on track to our conversation.

She blinked, "Oh, yeah, that. Well, basically she knew that Dian would fall for me and I would decline him. Don't ask me how she knew, she just did. She said that she was very observant and could read people." She took a breath, "She wanted to teach Dian a lesson."

"A lesson?" For what?

"Yeah, she said that she had enough of his prejudice about men."

"Prejudice?" This conversation was going nowhere.

"Dian would not go out with a man, he didn't even want to consider it."

"So?" what was wrong with that?

"So, she wanted to show him a woman could break his heart as hard as a man could."

"I don't see how this is related," why would Liliana cared?

"Sir, Liliana is attracted to him, ever since they were little."

"I still don't see the connection," childhood sweetheart, big deal, we have those over here too. But I still didn't get it.

"Liliana used to be called Lilian."

You know, I was so glad that I brought up the 'name department' subject days ago. This way, the revelation came less shocking than it could have been. 

"Oh," that was all I managed to say.

She eyed me cautiously and then joined me in silence. Now I understand why she was staring at a non-existence object on that wall when I first found her. It was a lot to take in. Liliana didn't look like a 'he', but hey, 'he' was an alien who live in such 'vibrant' community. They must've have technology for ... the transformation processes. I mean, even here on Earth, you could get operation and hormonal injection to do the 'transformation', right? Right?

Oh hell, it was not my business anyway. None what-so-ever. They were not even here now, they had just gated back to Dunian as their one month visit was over. Speaking of which, "If what you said is true, then shouldn't we let Teal'c and Jon --," I stop short at saying Jonas's name on my lips, the event on the gateroom before the Dunians departure was playing in my mind, "or maybe not."

Carter eyes were gloated, there was definitely a trouble coming. "Oh yeah Sir, we should let them know," she was grinning at this point.

"Do you really think it's a good idea, Carter?" I couldn't help but discourage her, "Jonas might not recover from this."

She shrugged her shoulder, "Don't care." She started to get up and not doubt that she was going to look for him.

"But Carter," I try to reason with her. Jonas had started to grown on me. And to be honest, I want my team in perfect condition, telling Jonas this could damage his mental health. 

She walked away from me. After she reached the entrance of her lab, she turned around to face me, "Are you coming?"

"What ever happened to your 'protecting' your team?"

"It was different," she was not easily dissuaded. 

"How it was different?" nor was I.

"Because Dian didn't kiss you goodbye."

**THE END**

AN: Once again, thanks to rosemary who beta-read this one for me and everyone who spare their time to write the review.


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